Michael – It was a sunburst Les Paul copy from Sears. Sold or traded it
long ago.

QRD – What’s your typical set-up from guitar to effects to amplifier?

Michael – Peavey Electric, ZoomG1NXext, Squire Champ 15.

QRD – What’s the most important part of your rig - guitar, amplifier,
or effects?

Michael – Guitar & effects.

QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why?

Michael – The Squire Champ 15 - just has a nice sound to it.

QRD – What’s your main guitar & what are the features that make
it such?

Michael – Peavey Raptor Plus EXP - the feel & sound of this
guitar in my hands is just perfection.

QRD – If you had a signature guitar, what would it look like &
what would some of its features be?

Michael – I have played many guitars over the years & own
several, but as I stated this Peavey for me personally is perfect. Not
only does it play & sound good it has a nice blue finish
& you can see the wood grain through it so it looks beautiful
as well. This is my signature guitar, there is nothing I would change
or want different.

QRD – If you had a signature pedal, what would it be & what
would some of its features be?

Michael – Once again, I have used many effects in my time on earth. I
played through this ART effects rack one time at a friends house that
just blew me away. I have had several effect pedals (singles) &
multi-effects boards mostly Digitech on the multi. However, I had
always wondered what these Zoom effects sounded like so one day I broke
down & ordered the ZoomG1Next multi-effect pedal & wow
was I blown away when I plugged into this thing. For my guitar effects
nothing sounds better & I would not change one thing on it. It
is simple to use & sounds incredible.

QRD – How many guitars do you own?

Michael – 8.

QRD – What features do you look for when buying a guitar?

Michael – I just have to like the look & feel of it.

QRD – How much do you think a good guitar should cost?

Michael – Prices vary, but it is what you like & what is
comfortable for you to play. I have had guitars from $25 to $1000, but
my personal favorites have all been in the hundreds.

QRD – Do you upgrade & customize your guitars or just stick
with what you get?

Michael – I have no idea how to adjust a truss rod or set a bridge
properly, but I learned a different little trick many years ago. I
usually take the neck off & put one or two very thin pieces of
cardboard under the neck & then screw the neck back on. This
greatly improves the string action. I have also changed out pickguards
for custom ones & one time covered an entire guitar body with
stickers.

QRD – How thoroughly do you research or test a piece of equipment
before buying it?

Michael – Not much, I tend to be more spontaneous.

QRD – Do you change your rig around often?

Michael – No.

QRD – Are you after one particular guitar tone & locking into
it, or do you like to change your tone around a lot?

Michael – I play with the pickup selector a lot.

QRD – What are some guitars, amps, & pedals you particularly
lust after?

Michael – Fender Mustang.

QRD – What do you think are some important features to be on a person’s
first guitar that aren’t always there?

Michael – The string action. Many cheap first guitars have terrible
action & this can discourage the player.

QRD – What have been the best & worst guitar related purchases
you’ve made?

Michael – Best is the Peavey & Fender Lead II - worst was some
old Teardrop shaped thing, too uncomfortable to hold sitting or
standing.

QRD – Do you prefer tablature, sheet music, or some other notation
system for writing down your own ideas?

Michael – Tablature for sure as I am not able to read music.

QRD – How high do you hold your guitar when playing (strap length)?

Michael – On my belly

QRD – What’s a bad habit in your playing you wish you could break?

Michael – School me, I don’t know.

QRD – Playing what other instrument do you think can most help
someone’s guitar playing?

Michael – Some say piano.

QRD – What’s a type of guitar playing you wish you could do that you
can’t?

Michael – I would love to be able to play that crazy Yngwie stuff or be
able to do the crazy fast stuff that Michael Angelo Batio does, but I
totally respect their playing & the effort they have put in to
be able to do that & know full well that I do not put in the
kind of practice time to be able to do as they do.

QRD – Did you ever take guitar lessons & if so, what did you
learn from them?

Michael – Yes, started with classical but that was quick & she
switched me to a rock teacher knowing I was bored with her, from that
rock teacher I then went to a different one that was a guitar player in
a local band. After that I started getting Metal Method &
various other self-teaching tools, CDs, tapes, book tape combos, etc. I
learned different things from each of them. I attribute most of the
best instruction I got to Bill Erskine, who was the guitar player in a
band. He showed me the most & helped me to be able to learn
songs by ear. He taught me until I could do that myself.

QRD – What would you teach someone in a guitar lesson that you don’t
think they would generally get from a guitar teacher?

Michael – I have taught several people how to play & I like to
teach them easy fun stuff that sounds wicked so that right away they
can start having fun & sound good. I also show them that you
don’t have to be perfect, just close enough so that it sounds right. I
also teach them how to make up songs & riffs.

QRD – What’s something someone would have to do to emulate your style?

Michael – Pick fast & bend good.

QRD – What’s your take on tremolo systems?

Michael – Can take or leave them - don’t really use them much.

QRD – How often do you adjust your tone knob?

Michael – Never.

QRD – What do you see as the difference between lead guitar &
rhythm guitar players?

Michael – I don’t want to offend anyone, but I don’t have much use for
a rhythm guitarist. If you have gone that far, then learn to play lead
as well. I grew up listening to the TWIN guitars of bands like Judas
Priest. I guess the rhythm thing works for bands like AC/DC - I don’t
know - it would still be cool if Angus & Malcolm were trading
off solos.

QRD – If a band has good guitar work, can you ignore the rest of the
band not being good?

Michael – This happens a lot. Actually I think a lot of the Yngwie
stuff is crap as far as the vocals & the songs, but then you
have killer guitar. I guess that’s why you have to be a guitar player
to appreciate some of this stuff because you can overlook some of that
& still enjoy it.

QRD – What famous musician’s guitar would you like to own &
why?

Michael – I like some of those guitars that Steve Vai plays with the
seven strings & they just look so cool too - also any of the
Yngwie guitars with the scalloped neck would be awesome - I played one
once that had a partially scalloped neck & it was insane. The
action was such that you just barely touched it.

QRD – Who do you think is currently the most innovative guitar player
& why?

Michael – Hands down Steve Vai is the master. He has the musicality,
the ability, the strangeness, & the innovation all in one
package.